Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline's History Has Some Rocky Moments

CP

CALGARY — Kinder Morgan's proposal to triple the capacity of its 63-year-old Trans Mountain oil pipeline to 900,000 barrels per day has faced a rough ride from environmentalists, aboriginal groups and municipalities. It is not the first expansion of the pipeline, but it has faced the most scrutiny.

A protest slogan against the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline. (Photo: Darryl Dyck/CP)

Here are some key dates in the history of the Trans Mountain pipeline, which was granted conditional approval Thursday by the National Energy Board for its planned expansion:

October 1953: The Trans Mountain pipeline begins shipping oil with an initial capacity of 150,000 barrels per day. The project features four pump stations along its 1,150-kilometre route and a marine dock that connects loading facilities on the east side of Edmonton with ocean tankers in Burnaby, B.C.

1957: Pipeline capacity is expanded via the construction of a 160-kilometre pipeline loop. The Westridge Marine Terminal is built and commissioned in Burnaby, B.C.

2006-08: The Anchor Loop project adds 160 kilometres of new pipeline through Jasper National Park and Mount Robson Provincial Park between Hinton, Alta., and Hargreaves, B.C. The extension includes 13 new pump stations and modifications to existing stations, increasing capacity from 260,000 bpd to 300,000 bpd.

Feb. 21, 2012: Kinder Morgan says it wants to expand the Trans Mountain pipeline after receiving support from oil shippers and will begin public consultations.